America's no democracy. It wasn't established to be one. It never was and isn't now.

Latter day framers today would be called a Wall Street crowd. They included money-lenders, investors, speculators, merchants, politicians, planters, and lawyers. High-mindedness wasn't on their agenda.

They wanted America run by people who owned it. They made sure it turned out that way.

Wheeler-dealer government is policy. The "supreme law of the land" is whatever presidents and sitting governments say.

Wealth and power alone mattered. It's more than ever true today. Popular interests are entirely excluded. Government of, by, and for the people never existed and doesn't now.

Constitutional rhetoric is window dressing. It's self-serving for powerful interests. They're accountable to themselves alone. Rule of law principles are null and void.

Democracy is illusory. America's been on a fast track to tyranny for years. Post-9/11, things hardened exponentially. Police state America is real. Duopoly power assures it. Monied interests have full control.

Homeland repression is policy. Resisters are threatened. They can be arrested, abused or murdered. Obama appointed himself judge, jury and executioner. That's how tyranny works.

The criminal class in Washington is bipartisan. Obama nominally heads it. He governs to the right of George Bush. He's arguably America's worst ever president. He elevated rogue leadership to a higher level.

He's a war criminal multiple times over. He governs lawlessly for the monied interests that own him. Whatever they want they get.

Anyone can be targeted for any reason or none at all. They can be indefinitely detained without charge or trial. Baseless suspicions alone matter. Constitutional protections don't apply. Unchecked power is policy.

Obama has diktat authority. He has final say. He afforded himself unchecked power. Patriot Act provisions established domestic terrorism. It did so for the first time. It turned lawfulness on its head.

Evidence isn't needed. Accusations suffice. US citizens and permanent residents are vulnerable. They're unjustly targeted for supporting right over wrong.

They're guilty if (wrongfully) accused of intimidating or coercing a civilian population, influencing government policy by intimidation or coercion, and/or affecting government conduct by mass destruction, assassination or kidnapping.

He targets global justice advocates, freedom-fighters, whistleblowers, civil libertarians, environmental and animal rights activists, unwanted immigrants, and Muslims for political advantage as well as praying to the wrong God.

Anything goes replaced constitutional protections. No one's safe anywhere. Doing the right thing is criminalized. Challenging state lawlessness risks arrest or death. It's not hard imagining where this ends.

"The loss of civil rights often begins with the reduction of rights in a time of crisis, for a minority that has become the scapegoat for a problem facing the nation."

The situation can become particularly explosive in a time of national tragedy or war."

"But when civil rights for one group of Americans are threatened and the disappearance of those rights is accepted, it becomes a potential threat to many others."

He expressed concern about targeting America's most vulnerable. He said Muslims and Arabs are endangered. They're scapegoated in the name of national security. They're terrorized for political advantage.

Obama's nominally in charge. He usurped unprecedented powers. Police state control is policy. Merriam-Webster calls it:

"a political unit characterized by repressive governmental control of political, economic, and social life usually by an arbitrary exercise of power by police and especially secret police in place of regular operation of administration and judicial organs of the government according to publicly known legal procedures."

The Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR) says Washington "consistently (doesn't) recognize the protections afforded by the US Constitution and international law, and in doing so, it has failed in its responsibility to maintain a democratic society that is both open to, and accountable to, the people."

Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com and listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network Thursdays at 10AM US Central time and Saturdays and Sundays at noon. All programs are archived for easy listening.